Critics often blame violent videogames when any youth who owns a console steals or stabs. But a teenager in Italy has proven that violent games aren’t always the driver for physical brutality.
The perhaps aptly-named Mario – aged 16 and from Rome – allegedly stabbed his father with a kitchen knife earlier this week following an …

huh

the article fails to note the degree of condescending tone with which the "fatherly advice" was dished out, nor how "ample" the quantities of said tactical advice.

Ah. Irony.

Oh, and for the record, I now refuse to play games with parents. They are far too competitive at Wii Sports, Wii gaming should be a non contact sport, with referees to red card shoving while bowling. Could have saved my ankle. and dignity.

I'd be interested to know...

... exactly why the tone of voice used by the father matters. Stabbing someone in the neck ... especially when you actually have to go and get the knife to do it ... is not something that can be provoked in any sensible person by the use of someone else's 'tone of voice'.

Blame the parents, I do.

It's easy to blame violent computer games. At least incidents like this help demonstrate that it's not necessarily the games at fault. Personally I blame up-bringing, there are two entire generations below my own that seem to be incapable of understanding why they should be courteous to those around them.

Why do they think like that? Purely because they've never had the threat of repercussions for their actions. Take any kid who has been given the belt by their parents on a couple of occasions during their childhood, bet they turn out to be more courteous and decent than those who aren't physically punished.

psychopaths

If you want to create a little psychopath don't smack them and tell them what they are doing is wrong. Not very effective (or there would be a lot more psychopaths my age).

Tell them that they are worthless little shits at least 3 times a day. Remind them that they were a mistake at least 3 times a week. Don't touch them at all (they might call the cops on you). This sure to have Jr. killing small animals by the time he is 10.

So Freddie...

When one of your children does something really bad (e.g. hitting a sibling, or general nastiness to them), do you just take them to one side and have a little chat, or is, just perhaps, a more relevant punishment more appropriate. And I'm not talking about nasty stuff (belt etc), just simple smacking. It's used as the ultimate deterrent in our house, and as a result we have two well behaved and courteous children, who are almost never have to be punished with this ultimate sanction - because they KNOW THERE IS ONE. (For example, the 8 year old has been smacked about 4 times in his life, the 4 year old about the same - he's a bit naughtier). Using this ultimate sanction more often would negate it's usefulness, and most of the time, talking does the trick.

On the other hand, my brothers children, with a child psychologist as a mother, who have no ultimate sanction like smacking (a stiff talking to and a trip to the naughty step is about it) are atrociously behaved.

Just my opinion of course, from my own experience, and I certainly wouldn't condone excessive corporal punishment.

Oddly

I find most the people I know that play sports games act out physically more than the violent ones. I remember my cousin in particular went through 5 or 6 controllers playing a old madden game (forgot the system) cause he would fling them when he got mad. Now sit him front of something like GTA and if he died stupidly he'd just go get a bazooka and level the area instead.

Not to worry

In a scene reminiscent...

It's unfair to criticise him for cleaning his knife in his kitchen, that is just good hygiene. Plus, it should be taken into account that his father was Italian and therefore someone obviously getting in between a son and his true love.

Maybe

maybe

Is this a case of real life prompts video game violence?? if there was no hooliganism or viloence in real football, maybe Mario wouldnt have brought it back home?? on this unsubstantiated evidence and with kneejerk scaremongering factored in, the only way to prevent this in the future is - BAN FOOTBALL NOW!!

If his dad wasnt such a tightwad and bought little Mario Fifa10 he would have been a little more sympathetic!!

What's the background?

There's more to this story than just a game. In fact, reading the article I'm not all that sure the game's relevant at all.

Even so, I don't think that those who Fear The Tech (I'm looking at you, Vaz) will be particularly reassured by the argument as it's presented here, since they'll presumably just see this as proof that, look, games *do* cause violence - even the supposedly non-violent ones!